Tuesday, July 29

Satisfying Super Salad #2 :Chipotle Barbecue Bean and Corn Salad

What do potato salad, corn-on-the-cob, watermelon, and bean salad all have in common? They're requisite summer cookout foods.

When I was a kid growing up in Rhode Island, it was usually Italian-style pickled bean salad made with green and yellow wax beans and dark red kidney bean. I always ate so much that I inevitably ended up with pickled gray vinegar lips.

Then sometime in the '90's my mom replaced the Italian bean salad with a rich, sweet baked bean dish made with crispy bacon. It was so sugary good, that one year I ate nearly half of it while I was making it for the cookout. Not a good idea.

When we lived in North Carolina, it was either a mushy green bean salad with diced ham (yech) or a crisp black-eyed pea salad similar to succotash (yum).

Now that we're in Southern California, I don't know what the appropriate bean salad is anymore. So I decided to go Southwest with the flavors. A trio of beans -- black, red kidney, and chickpeas -- and fresh sweet corn are happily drowned in a spicy, tangy chipotle barbecue sauce. Chipotle chilies in adobo sauce add that characteristic smoky flavor that contrasts pleasingly with the sweetness of the ketchup and brown sugar.

This salad is also the second salad of my Satisfying Super Salad series. (The first was Asian Noodle Salad with Tofu and Mango.) You'll feel satiated well after you eat this salad because beans are a super food -- they're high-protein, high-fiber, slow-digesting food which helps keep your blood sugar steady. Feel free to add grilled tofu, pork, or shrimp for added protein.

Of course, if you're not watching your calories, then Jeff would like me to tell you that, "It's awesome with hamburgers and barbecued ribs." Two more requisite foods for a cookout.

The really cool thing is that this salad transforms into a dip when eaten with chips! That's right. It's like a two-fer. And don't worry, those are baked, not fried chips. So I'm sending my super salad/dip to sweet Dhanggit of Dhanggit's Kitchen who's on the prowl for some Perfect Party Dishes! And since there's so much of it, I'm also sharing it with the lovely The Well Seasoned Cook, Susan, for her Legume Love Affair Second Helping.

To make the sauce, whisk together all ingredients in a medium bowl, and set aside.

To make the salad, heat olive in a large skillet over medium heat. Add green onion and corn kernels. Saute until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, and add to a large bowl. Add raw bell pepper, rinsed beans, and bbq sauce; stir until well combined. Gently stir in the fresh herbs. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled, though it tastes better if allowed to rest for a couple of hours.

**Canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce can be found in Mexican markets as well as in the Mexican section of most major supermarkets.

49 comments:

Oh that looks so delicious--I'm always in the mood for Tex-Mex, it's just always something that appeals to me.

And as a side note I made this wonderful vegetable lasagna tonight and while I was having to hold back from eating too much all I got was complaints that it wasn't the regular meaty kind. I thought of you--you appreciate a good veggie lasagna I imagine :)

Even as I write this, I'm 12 hours into the 18-hour cooking of a slow cooker full of black beans (oh, how I love my slow cooker for this!). Beans, corn and tomato is a classic summer combination at our house. Your recipe is one that will become a favorite for us!

Soooo - can I just tell you that this salad looks damn good? I have a few bbq meat recipes that would go oh so well w/this. You know what...I'm even thinking a fish taco w/some of this salad on top. This is totally a winner! Forget summer - you can eat this at any time.

This heads straight to the "MUST MAKE" list and then surely to the "MUST MAKE AGAIN" list... LOVE beans and anything with ketchup and chipotle-adobo sauce (which I keep on hand at all times - sidenote, combine those two on their own and it makes a great spicy ketchup). Thanks for another super recipe!

this is the most magnificent salad/dip i've ever seen and i'm not exaggerating. it has everything i would ever want, including not one, not two, but THREE types of beans. seriously, this is sensational. :)

I recently made a similar bean salad...no chipotle in mine though. The addition sounds fantabulous! I've been creating and eating salads like crazy the past 10 days even though the temp here in San Jose hovers around 75-80 at the max.....but who doesn't love summer salads? I'm gonna try your version soon. Thanks for posting it!

I meant to say that I wont be able to participate in your event, so sorry about it... wanted to do something with strawberries but the season is over and I'm off on holidays!Giving a party in my blog though, wanna come?

Spectacular - I love the colours and flavours in here. We used to (and I sometimes still do) make a 3-bean salad with French beans, butter beans and baked beans in a sweet vinegary dressing. It was heaven on a slice of toast with cheddar cheese...

First - I missed the event, but such a wonderful round up. I would love to know when your next event is to participate. The salad is so wholesome and nutritious. This would be a perfect recipe for my ONE DISH MEAL - SALAD event which I am hosting. The rules are in my website. I would love for you to send this recipe or anything else which you feels suits the rules. Thanks